Molded storage housing for a motorcycle

ABSTRACT

A housing structure for storage of motorcyles includes a rigid cover member pivoted to a floor plate and adapted when fully open to rest in stabilized position permitting the vehicle to be ridden upon the plate and when fully closed to seal against the plate.

United States Patent Dale et al. Jan. 21, 1975 [5 MOLDED STORAGE HOUSING FOR A 3,343,311 9/1967 Wright 52/66 MOTORCYCLE 3,367,073 2/1968 Sccger ct all. 52/66 3,399,686 9/l968 Horton 1 1 1 l35/l A Inventors: William Dale, 103 Mcrewood 3,797,178 3 1974 Mulc 52/66 Dr., Versailles, Ky. 40383; William G. Bl'ilSCh, 613 Wichita 01.; Charles FOREIGN PA'IENTS 0R APPLICATIONS E. ODell, 333 Harvard Dr., both of 902,137 11 1945 France 52 174 Lexington, Ky. 40503 22 Filed: May 31 1973 Primary ExaminerPaul R. Gilliam Assistant Examiner-David H. Corbin pp 365,481 Attorney, Agent, or FirmWilliam E. Sherwood [52] US. Cl. 52/66 [57] ABSTRACT [51] Int. Cl E04b 7/16 [58] Field Of Search 52/66, 174, 64; 135/1 A, A 99 Structure for f of mommy! 135/4 A a r1g1d cover member pwoted to a floor plate and adapted when fully open to rest in stabilized position [56] References Cited permitting the vehicle to be ridden upon the plate and when fully closed to seal against the plate.

4 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures PATENTED 3.861.092

sum 10F 2 FIG. 2

MOLDED STORAGE HOUSING FOR A MOTORCYCLE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Owners of valuable motorcycles are often confronted with the problem of garaging the same in a safe and convenient manner, especially when the owner lives in a mobile home court, apartment or the like where storage space is limited. When compelled to leave the vehicle out of doors the owner frequently employs a detachable cover, or houses the vehicle in a collapsible structure, or a box such as shown by the old U.S. Pat.- Nos. to Freckleton, No. 624,320 and Mumford, No. 542,096. However, these expedients have disadvantages in that moisture can collect under the cover, or in the box; attaching and detaching of the cover, and storage of the same when not in use, are laborious; and in some situations the vehicle itself must be provided with modifications as by removal of its handlebars or windshield in order to fit it snugly within the enclosure.

Moreover, such expedients provide no significant protection against theft since the enclosure containing the vehicle is not firmly secured against removal as a unit. It is these and other disadvantages associated with conventional means for storing of land vehicles such as motorcycles, bicycles, snow mobiles or the like which it is a purpose of the present invention to overcome.

SUMMARY The protective housing comprises a floor plate adapted for fixing to a ground surface and having a rigid cover member pivoted thereon and movable between a stabilized raised position and a lowered closed position. A seal carried by the cover member protects against water entering the housing while the vehicle is enclosed therein.

Among the objects of the invention are the provision of a housing which offers an improved protection to the vehicle; the provision of a housing whose cover member may be manipulated with little exertion; the provision of a cover member which may be molded in conventional dies; the provision of a protective housing which incorporates heating and ventilating means; and the provision of a housing for a motorcycle and into which the motorcycle may be ridden without dismountmg.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will become more apparent as the description proceeds and when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which;

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the housing in closed position and indicating the sloping sides of the same.

FIG. 2 is a side elevation view of the fully opened housing with a motorcycle in storage position.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the base of the housing.

FIG. 4 is a view of the cover member showing the interior of the same.

FIG. 5 is a view to a larger scale taken on line 55 of FIG. 3 and indicating the locking and sealing of the cover member; and

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken on line 6-6 of FIG. 3 and showing a stand pad arrangement.

Referring first to FIG. 1 the housing comprises essentially a rigid cover member 10 pivotally hinged at 11 to the rearward end of a generally flat floor plate 12 and having elongated handles, one being seen at 13, for the purpose of manually raising and lowering the cover member. Significantly, the cover member is formed of a strong light weight material such as a fiberglass plastic, and has sloping walls adapted for molding of the cover member in conventional molding apparatus. The sloping rear wall 14, moreover, permits the cover member when in its first or elevated position to move into a stable rest position permitting the driver to ride the vehicle upon the floor plate prior to dismounting.

Centrally located in the cover member and disposed to provide for enclosure of maximum width and height of the vehicle, for example the handlebar or windshield portion of a motorcycle, are sloping central sidewall panels 15, I6 joined to the rear wall by intermediate sloping panels l7, 18.

A sloping front wall 20 joined to the central panels by sloping intermediate pairs 21, 22 and 23, 24 of panels serves to complete the circumferential enclosure of the vehicle and to provide a periphery of the cover member for contact with the floor plate. Along this entire periphery a gasket 25 serving as a seal against entry of water continuously extends, it being understood that other arrangements for mounting the seal on the cover member may be employed without departing from the invention. Suitable top panels 26, 27 and 28 joining the top edges of the described wall panels complete the construction of the cover member.

As will be appreciated, the largest portion of the cover member thus is located between the handles 13 and the pivot 11. This pivot conveniently may be a rod embraced by cooperative hinge portions provided on the cover member and the floor plate respectively, and serving to prevent lateral shift of the cover member with respect to the floor plate. Upon grasping of the handles and raising or lowering of the same, a useful leverage is obtained which reduces the manual effort involved in opening or closing the housing.

Preferably, the cover member will provide for selective heating and ventilation, and a suitable heating element, for example a light bulb or resistor 30 mounted on the interior of a rearward wall and having a conductor 31 extending exteriorly for attachment to an electrical source, may be used as a heat source. Also a vent 32 selectively closable by a shutter 33, serving to protect against rain entering the housing, may be provided at an elevated portion of the cover member to allow escape of vapor from within the closed cover member during humid weather.

Passing now to FIGS. 2 to 4, the floor plate may be formed of any suitable imperforate material such as plywood and has a peripheral recess 40 corresponding to the seal-carrying periphery of the cover member. When employed in the housing of a vehicle such as a motorcycle, a longitudinal slot 41 of sufficient width to accomodate the tires is provided and extends from the front end of the plate to an abutment 42 adjacent the rear end of the plate. Stand pads 43, 44 are provided to support the vehicle in upright position when the driver dismounts. These pads may be affixed in any suitable manner to the body of the floor plate and may be adjustable, if so desired. Accordingly, upon approaching the housing, with the cover in raised position, the driver may guide the wheels into slot 41 and upon striking the abutment 42 may lower the vehicle supports upon the stand pads, dismount, and leave the vehicle in upright proper position for lowering of the cover member.

In certain usages it may be desired to secure the apparatus against theft, and, as indicated, bolts 45 to 48 may be passed through holes in the floor plate and secured in the ground, expanding bolts being suitable for this purpose. Normally a means for locking the cover member to the plate when the vehicle has been housed will also be provided. For example, one or more brackets 49, 50 may be carried by the cover member at its forward lower end and cooperating shallow brackets 51, 52 may be fixed to the forward end of the floor plate, these brackets providing for securing of a locking means (not shown) thereto.

In general, the housing provides for a substantially unobstructed floor plate surface except for the abutment 42 and thus the likelihood of the rider stumbling as he dismounts from his vehicle is reduced.

Having thus described a preferred form of protective housing, it will be understood that changes and modifications of the same are possible within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A molded storage housing for a motorcycle comprising, a floor plate adapted to support the motorcycle thereon and having a forward end and a rearward end, and a rigid single unit plastic cover member fixedly hinged to the rearward end of said plate and movable between a first stabilized elevated position with the rear wall of the cover member resting on the ground and a second lowered position with the periphery of the cover member in contact with said plate, said cover member having a juxtaposed pair of sloping side wall portions spaced from each other relatively far apart for enclosing the handlebar and windshield portions of the motorcycle, a relatively narrow sloping rear wall enclosing the front wheel portion of the motorcycle, a relatively narrow sloping front wall enclosing the rear wheel portion of the motorcycle, intermediate sloping panels joining said rear wall and said side walls, intermediate sloping panels joining said front wall and said side walls, and top panels joining the top edges of said side walls, said intermediate walls and said rear and front walls; thus forming a configuration of said cover member such that when the cover member is in said second position, the motorcycle is totally enclosed by the cover member without requiring modification and when the cover member is in said first position the motorcycle may be driven upon said floor plate prior to dismounting of the driver therefrom.

2. A housing as defined in Claim 1 including a peripheral recess formed in the top surface of said floor plate and a seal carried by said cover member around its periphery and adapted to engage in said plate recess when said cover member occupies its second position.

3. A housing as defined in claim 2 including an abutment disposed adjacent the rearward end of said plate and a longitudinal slot in the surface of said plate extending from said abutment to the forward end of said plate for receiving and guiding the ground-engaging portion of the vehicle.

4. A housing as defined in claim 1 including a pair of elongated rearwardly sloping handles on the respective intermediate panels of said cover member adjacent the forward end and within reach with the cover member in its elevated position, said handles being disposed such that the maximum width and height of said cover member is located between the hinged portion of the cover member and said handles, thereby to secure improved leverage in opening and closing of the housing. 

1. A molded storage housing for a motorcycle comprising, a floor plate adapted to support the motorcycle thereon and having a forward end and a rearward end, and a rigid single unit plastic cover member fixedly hinged to the rearward end of said plate and movable between a first stabilized elevated position with the rear wall of the cover member resting on the ground and a second lowered position with the periphery of the cover member in contact with said plate, said cover member having a juxtaposed pair of sloping side wall portions spaced from each other relatively far apart for enclosing the handlebar and windshield portions of the motorcycle, a relatively narrow sloping rear wall enclosing the front wheel portion of the motorcycle, a relatively narrow sloping front wall enclosing the rear wheel portion of the motorcycle, intermediate sloping panels joining said rear wall and said side walls, intermediate sloping panels joining said front wall and said side walls, and top panels joining the top edges of said side walls, said intermediate walls and said rear and front walls; thus forming a configuration of said cover member such that when the cover member is in said second position, the motorcycle is totally enclosed by the cover member without requiring modification and when the cover member is in said first position the motorcycle may be driven upon said floor plate prior to dismounting of the driver therefrom.
 2. A housing as defined in Claim 1 including a peripheral recess formed in the top surface of said floor plate and a seal carried by said cover member around its periphery and adapted to engage in said plate recess when said cover member occupies its second position.
 3. A housing as defined in claim 2 including an abutment disposed adjacent the rearward end of said plate and a longitudinal slot in the surface of said plate extending from said abutment to the forward end of said plate for receiving and guiding the ground-engaging portion of the vehicle.
 4. A housing as defined in claim 1 including a pair of elongated rearwardly sloping handles on the respective intermediate panels of said cover member adjacent the forward end and within reach with the cover member in its elevated position, said handles being disposed such that the maximum width and height of said cover member is located between the hinged portion of the cover member and said handles, thereby to secure improved leverage in opening and closing of the housing. 